Overview

Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse refers to the March 2024 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland caused by a cargo ship that seemingly lost power and crashed into it. The disaster was labeled a mass casualty event and tragedy. A video of the bridge collapsing went viral on social media sites like Twitter / X, Reddit and TikTok (among others). Online reactions and memes ensued, as well as discourse and debate mostly related to American infrastructure. Others denounced the speculation that the bridge's infrastructure was the issue. Conspiracy theories also surfaced about the collapse, including a tweet shared by Andrew Tate who speculated that it was a cyberattack and that a "Black Swan event" (an extremely negative occurrence impossible to predict related to finance) was "imminent." Others like Alex Jones added to Tate's speculation.

Background

At around 1:23 a.m. EST on March 26th, 2024, a container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, causing part of the structure to collapse into the river. The collapse caused seven cars to fall into the river. According to Baltimore Fire Department Chief James Wallace, the ship seemingly lost power and caused the vessel to lose steering. However, an investigation is set to be conducted to determine what caused the impact.^[1]

X^[2] user @ChaudharyParvez was one of the first to tweet a video of the crash and collapse, taken by a livestream camera nearby, gaining over 1,200 likes in less than a day (shown below). A more viral upload of the collapse was posted by the X^[3] account of @BNONews within the same hour, gaining over 41.1 million views and 92,000 likes during the same timeframe.

By midday on March 26th, 2024, the disaster was labeled a "developing mass casualty event" as the death toll had not yet been announced.^[3]

Clear Video of Traffic movement on Bridge before hit by a shipAt least 20 vehicles were on the bridge. #keybridge #baltimore #Ship #FrancisScottKeyBridge #bridgecollapse #USA #BREAKINGNEWS #Baltimore #Maryland #BREAKING pic.twitter.com/NkH36hQ8Qp

— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) March 26, 2024

Online Reactions

On March 26th, 2024, internet users shared viral posts about the collapse, predominantly reacting to the video of the disaster. For instance, X^[4] user @iloveiyosias quoted the video on March 26th, writing, "oh my god I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bridge collapse like this," receiving over 52,000 likes in less than a day (shown below, left).

X^[5] user @VDAREJamesK quoted the same video on March 26th, 2024, using the collapse to ask the question, "Can modern post-America even build a new bridge?" receiving over 16,000 likes in less than a day (shown below, right).

The video of the bridge collapsing also went viral on TikTok when the TikTok^[6] account of the Daily Mail (@dailymail) shared it, gaining over 15.1 million plays in less than a day.

Posts about the bridge also went viral on Reddit, evident in photos shared to subreddits like /r/pics on March 26th, such as one posted by Redditor^[7] TheRedTMNT that received over 23,500 upvotes in less than a day (shown below, left).

Also on March 26th, 2024, Redditor^[8] SlayerPipeDaddy shared a 4chan greentext to /r/greentext in which an anon wrote, ">be american / >fall to the ground," gaining over 1,300 upvotes in less than a day (shown below, right).

Light-hearted and more humorous reactions about the collapse also surfaced, like a tweet shared by X^[9] user @Ziggys_Duck on March 26th that showed The Wire character Frank Sobotka looking at the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the series, receiving over 13,000 likes in less than a day (shown below).

Conspiracy Theories

As news of the collapse spread online, some internet users started to post about a conspiracy theory that the ship intentionally crashed into the structure. For instance, on March 26th, 2024, X^[10] user @S_K_Mar tweeted the collapse video, writing, "Is it me or this looks very deliberate," gaining over 6,000 likes in less than a day (shown below, left).

People like X^[11] user @lifeasshadae quoted the post, writing, "Don’t do this," gaining roughly 5,900 likes over the same timeframe (shown below, right).

Cyberattack Theory / Andrew Tate's "Black Swan" Tweet

On March 26th, 2024, influencer Andrew Tate posted to X^[12] about the bridge collapse, writing, "This ship was cyber-attacked. .. Black Swan event imminent," receiving over 48,000 likes in less than a day (shown below). Tate's tweet also received a Community Note that clarified his statement was speculation.

Later that same day, X^[13] user @ShadowofEzra reiterated Tate's theory, further stating, "The FBI has already said it was not a terrorist attack. Can we really trust the FBI for any investigation?" receiving over 6,300 likes in less than a day (shown below, left).

Also on March 26th, 2024, talk show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones echoed Tate's post in a quote,^[14] writing, "Looks deliberate to me. A cyber-attack is probable. WW3 has already started," receiving over 28,000 likes in less than a day (shown below, right).

Others on X disagreed with Tate and criticized him for sharing the post, such as X^[15] user @RyanGirdusky who likened Tate's post to engagement bait, writing, "We are so lucky that social media wasn’t around during 9/11…" The quote received over 1,700 likes in less than a day (shown below).

Discourse about Tate's cyberattack theory and the bridge collapse in general also surfaced on the /r/conspiracy subreddit due to a post shared by Redditor^[16] Sad_Bother7444 on March 26th, 2024, who purported, "I was on the Baltimore Bridge 15 minutes before it fatally collapsed this morning," receiving over 530 upvotes in less than a day (shown below).

DEI Discourse

Some conservatives online blamed Federally mandated DEI or Diversity Equity and Inclusion practices for the bridge collapsing. X^[17] user @iamyesyouareno referred to Brandon Scott as the "DEI mayor of Baltimore," in a March 26th, 2024 post that gathered over 13,000 likes in a day (seen below). The post received backlash from other internet users who considered the statement to be a racist dog whistle.

DEI is when Black person exists https://t.co/r3QDhpGbhT pic.twitter.com/LZWgxRTxxE

— Drew Savicki (@DrewSav) March 26, 2024

Search Interest

External References